Commonly called the ‘daddy long legs,” this is called the Harvestman, a group of creatures belonging to the Arachnid class. Although they resemble much like a spider, they are actually not for two reasons. They do not spin webs (they have no spinnerets) and they do not carry venom. Though they cannot bite, they release a chemical secretion that is considered distasteful to a lot of predators. Their second legs are the longest because they are actually antennas used to detect vibrations in the ground of oncoming predators. Harvestmen are commonly found in the woods and sometimes appear in people’s home, but are not considered dangerous. The actual spider that is considered correctly a ‘daddy long legs” spider is the long bodied cellar spider, known to vibrate its web violently to make it difficult for predators to detect. They are known to also have a slim abdomen and long slender legs. Photos available at https://stevenanthony123456.smugmug.com/Animals/

Quickweed is a common invasive plant that was introduced. This plant can be found in gardens, sidewalks, parks, lawns, and vacant lots. Quickweed can be easily recognized by the fine hairs and the yellow flowers that appear. You can use this plant in soups or sandwiches to get a nice added artichoke kind of flavor. Photos available at https://stevenanthony123456.smugmug.com/Flowers-and-Plants/

If you had to be put into a survival situation, knowing about wild edibles is a great way to increase your chances of survival. The key is to know how different edible plants can be identified by location, size, color, etc. This is plant is called Asiatic Dayflower. By it s name, it is native from Asia and was introduced to many regions of the world including USA, Canada, and western Russia. The plant has no close poisonous relatives and can be easily recognized by the two blue petals with the three yellow staminodes. The plant is considered invasive in some areas of the USA and could greatly out compete some other plants in the ecosystem. Begin to munch down on this plant since it has a somewhat string bean flavor to it much like the Common Blue Violet. The plant is good from mid-spring to mid-fall before the leaves start to become wither and less appetizing. Photos available at https://stevenanthony123456.smugmug.com/Flowers-and-Plants/